


The Edervunt

by greyestjayest



Category: Original Work
Genre: Agender Character, Dark Fantasy, Eldritch, Gen, LGBTQ Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 23:07:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29940768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greyestjayest/pseuds/greyestjayest
Summary: A world that changes you physically as surely as it changes you mentally--that would be where Nexus ended up. The Edervunt is a dark, grisly world filled with monsters almost beyond human comprehension; Nexus might be able to avoid becoming one of them, if only their companions Humboldt and Phaedra can help them get home.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	1. Oak Trees and Things

It was never bright in the Edervunt, and Nexus missed the sun. On the best days the darkness was dull and dreary, a shroud to be squinted through as if they'd misplaced their flashlight; on the worst days, it was an oppressive pall that weighed on their chest and strangled their voice.

Humboldt said it would get better with time. _"Change is always heavy,"_ ve had intoned wisely, before shrieking and scampering up onto Nexus' shoulder as an ember-bug skittered by. Ve looked rather like a squirrel, save for the scaly armor on vis head and the sharpened canines protruding dangerously from vis mouth. Once upon a time, when first entering the Edervunt, Nexus had called Humboldt an it, and still had the scar on their forearm as a reminder. Edervuntites didn't do pronouns, not the way humans did, but Humboldt was familiar enough with Earth and humanity to grasp the implied lack of sapience. 

_Change._ Nexus shivered off the word, instead staring bleakly up at the ever grey sky. The Edervunt didn't have clouds so much as smoke, thick, billowing swaths that blotted out any hope for a universe beyond. They rolled across the sky like waves, or like sheets of sand in a barren desert, but no break ever appeared; Nexus often wondered what would happen if they flew into the smoke, up and up and up. Some days they figured it would merely be miles more of the same, and they'd choke to death before there was any hope of seeing--what, stars?

They missed the stars.

*

They hadn't meant to end up in the Edervunt, and ultimately it was Humboldt's fault that they had. The little creature had a knack for finding the tiniest cracks to wriggle through--in doors, in walls, in universes--and tended to favor vacationing on Earth when ve had the chance. Ve swore up and down that ve had only wanted to transport the oak tree, strong with age and heavy with acorns, and really Nexus shouldn't have been sitting underneath it at all. Nexus argued that it was _their_ tree, a longstanding feature of their parents' backyard, and they'd only wanted to enjoy the warm weather while they worked on their physics homework.

Nexus wasn't sure how long ago that had been; years, they assumed, having lost track a couple months in. They were too big to follow Humboldt on vis usual paths between worlds and Humboldt, though very talented at bringing things to the Edervunt, wasn't particularly skilled at sending them _back._ So instead, honorable despite vis grumbling demeanor, Humboldt had helped Nexus restore their childhood treehouse in the branches of the oak tree, turning it into a suitable shelter to keep them safe in the treacherous scape of the Edervunt.

It wasn't so much a house as the remnants of a van, secured to a platform that was anchored to the tree. It had been the envy of the neighborhood children when Nexus was growing up, and was now a curiosity to whatever Edervuntites dared venture so deep into Humboldt's forest. Nexus' father had gutted the van and finished the inside, calling on his brother to help heave a spare mattress into the back and installing a table for snacking and artwork. Nexus and Humboldt had cleaned off the years of neglect, restuffed the mattress with a wool-like fluff that Humboldt had reluctantly shared and wouldn't reveal the origin of, and set traps around the door and base of the tree so no one besides them could access the entrance.

Humboldt had also done some sort of Edervunt magic to reinforce the platform and windows, but Nexus was stubbornly disinterested in such things ever since they'd learned about the _change._

The oak tree was their first encounter with it. On Earth, nature survived by being adaptable, and Nexus figured that’s why the tree had been so susceptible to the changes the Edervunt wrought on outsiders. The wood darkened and dulled, becoming gnarled and dry--still sturdy, but almost hollow feeling. The leaves became brittle and spiky, the acorns twisting and elongating, forming deadly points at the ends. After a month the branches swayed without wind, and within the first year the traps they'd painstakingly set became all but unnecessary, as the roots took to bursting out of the ground and attacking any stranger passing by. It still stood apart from the native trees, all leering and dense, but it no longer seemed like an oak tree; it no longer felt like a piece of Earth.

These changes had, of course, distressed Nexus when they noticed them happening, so Humboldt had shared: it's simply what happened to things that didn't belong in the Edervunt. They _became_ part of the Edervunt. Everything did, eventually, from the oak tree to the bag of chips Humboldt had brought back from vis latest foray to Earth. Nexus had studiously avoided thinking about how their fingernails were slowly hardening and becoming more and more pointed.

*

When Humboldt couldn't get to Earth and Nexus' stock of "human food" was running low, sparkberries and ederroot were the basis of their diet. Humboldt had been wary of the concept of "cooking" until Nexus pointed out that, technically, potato chips were a cooked food, and ve grudgingly agreed that ederroot was much better baked or boiled than raw. They had an oddly meaty flavor, and Nexus often pestered Humboldt to bring back spices from Earth so they always had some on hand. Nexus seasoned the ederroot like meat once it was cooked, and paired it with whatever leafy vegetables they could forage that Humboldt said weren't poisonous.

Foraging was one of Nexus' favorite activities, which was a strange thought when they tried to think it in the context of their former life. They'd been too afraid to go alone for a while after they'd arrived, both because of the strange inhabitants of the Edervunt and the distinct possibility that they'd pick something that would kill them. Humboldt had, as patiently and thoroughly as the curmudgeonly squirrel demon could, taught them to distinguish nutritious (if bland) razor lettuce from the slightly more purple (and aptly named) death tendril, how to address anything that approached them, and how to fight off anything that might attack. Either by the grace of consistent training and conditioning or the Edervunt's dreaded changes, Nexus eventually found themself faster, stronger, and more assured, and they started venturing out on their own in search for sustenance, eyes always peeled for a prickly bush with brightly colored berries.

Sparkberries were the one thing Nexus would miss from the Edervunt if they ever went home, save for perhaps Humboldt, though they'd never admit it. The plump, iridescent orange-red-yellow spheres were sweet, spicy, and just a touch tart, and Nexus had eaten them to bursting more than once. They also enjoyed cooking them down into a syrup, which they usually ate over pancakes whenever Humboldt came back with mix.

Humboldt still steadfastly refused cooked meat, claiming it to be "a mockery of what the Shroud intended," though ve still graciously gave Nexus a portion of whatever ve'd hunted for them to fry up for themself. 

It wasn't unusual for Nexus to be out in the forest alone, peeking at velvet nettles to see if there were any young, tender leaves ready for harvest and carefully tucking strips of easily-peeled eder bark into the messenger bag Humboldt had (gruffly, awkwardly) brought back for them after they'd explained the concept of "birthdays." It was, however, unusual for them to pull back a branch covered in hanging moss to find a clutch of large, sparkling eggs resting on a bed of embers.

The air turned stiflingly still, oppressive darkness drawing close about their shoulders, and a slow, deep chuckle sounded from behind them.


	2. The Speaking Void

The thing about language in the Edervunt was that it didn't really exist; there was communication, but everything was about implication and intent, not spoken words. It was like the place read thoughts, sounds, and body language, and translated them into something other creatures could understand. So Nexus spoke English, and felt like they were hearing English, but underneath it all were the impressions of movements and snarls and a sort of pressure at the base of their skull.

"It's my lucky day," the thing behind them crooned. Nexus tried not to call the inhabitants of the Edervunt _things_ because, as Humboldt pointed out, they were all living, thinking creatures; upon being giving a list that Nexus had learned from Pride club, Humboldt had even carefully selected a set of neopronouns that suited ver best. But upon whirling around, Nexus wasn't sure that anything besides _thing_ suited what they saw.

At first it looked like nothing, but as Nexus' eyes adjusted they realized that it didn't just blend into the darkness of the Edervunt, it somehow was the darkness of the Edervunt--or at least part of it. Rippling tendrils stood out against the grey of the forest, black, or maybe blacker than black, creeping outward and threatening to envelop Nexus and everything around them.

Nexus reached to their hip, grasping the handle of the knife they'd asked Humboldt for and once again silently wishing they'd requested a gun. Deep laughter bellowed out of the center of the void and the tendrils suddenly withdrew, the darkness twisting and bulging until it took the vague shape of a human, its limbs still too long, its face featureless like a shadow until a wide grin with far too many sharp teeth appeared in approximately the place a mouth should go. 

"I _like_ you," it said, mouth not moving. "What _are_ you? I've never seen something like you before." It drifted closer, stretched legs not moving. Nexus drew the knife from its sheath, shakily holding it in front of themself. This elicited another bellowing laugh from the thing in front of them, and it held up an arm, head tilting as it bent it about where the elbow would be. The joint looked as sharp as the knife in Nexus' hand. It curled its far too long fingers inward one at a time with an almost audible _snap_. Shadows twisted up into a simulated blade.

"I can do it too!" the thing said brightly. Nexus couldn't tell if it was mocking them or not.

Mouth uncomfortably dry, they managed to ask "What do you want?" with hardly any cracking. They had the distinct feeling of something being surveyed, observed, though the creature hadn't bothered to simulate eyes. They could almost _feel_ it blink at them as the creepily protracted mouth narrowed and pursed, a horrible shrieking grinding sound rising as the teeth scraped against each other.

"W-ahhh-nnn-t," it mimicked, shadowy lips fumbling over the syllable. The grin returned. Nexus stared, stunned; they'd never seen an Edervuntite copy English before. Their mouths might move, but only in growls or caws or whatever sounds were hidden underneath the notion of English. "I _wanted_ those wyvern eggs," it said, and Nexus couldn't tell if the moving mouth was speaking the words or simply mouthing them. 

_"Wanted._ So now you don't?" Nexus became startlingly aware of the fact that they were standing between the thing and the nest of eggs, and flicked their tongue out over their lips in a failed attempt to rehydrate them; in response, the creature flicked a tendril of shadow around the outline of its mouth.

 _"Now I don't?"_ it repeated, grinding sound returning. Its tone was the same Nexus' had been when they asked. "Still _do._ But I _like_ you."

"Sorry, I'm spoken for," Nexus said without thinking. They weren't, of course, but sometimes they blurted out the first thing that came to mind and dealt with the consequences later. Humboldt hated it.

 _"Sorry._ I _like_ you."

"You keep saying that." They were trying to keep their breathing slow and even, and weren't managing very well. 

_"Sorry._ I _want_ you." Its free arm shot out, hand losing form and fading into a tendril that wrapped itself around Nexus' wrist. It _burned,_ not like heat but like ice. Nexus snatched their hand back, breaking the tendril's grip and stumbling closer to the nest of embers.

 _"Ouch!"_ they exclaimed, cradling their wrist to their chest, barely keeping a hold on the knife. The thing's wide grin slowly turned downward into a horrifying frown.

 _"Ouch!"_ it said, mimicking their stance, tendril once again becoming a hand. "Don't struggle."

"That _hurt,"_ Nexus said, hoping that this was some huge misunderstanding. Maybe the thing just had bad social skills. A glance downward showed an angry red rash around their wrist.

 _"Hurt,"_ it said, head tilting again. _"Sorry._ I _like_ you. I _want_ you."

"Well I'm mine," they said irritably, free hand hovering around the burn. "And those eggs probably aren't yours either."

"Aren't _yours_ either. I _like_ you. You're _mine."_ It lunged again, hand turning once more into a tendril; this time Nexus lashed out with the knife. It ran through the tendril like it ran through the rest of the air, no resistance at all, and the tip of the shadow dissipated like smoke. 

_"Ouch!"_ it said again, frown deepening. "That doesn't hurt. I _can't_ hurt. Don’t struggle." It began shifting, form stretching and compressing, before expanding once again into the void that had interrupted Nexus in the first place. Blacker than black cirri curled outward, turning toward Nexus, who slowly began backing away, knife still held shakily in front of them, wrist still burning. The heat of the wyvern nest radiated against their back.

A roar sounded from above them, and the ringlets of shadow stalled their slow creep to Nexus. Risking a glance away from the void, Nexus' breath caught in their throat at the great golden wyvern circling overhead. It landed between Nexus and the thing, sending Nexus scampering back toward the nest to avoid the massive sharp claws at the tip of its wings. It was positioned over Nexus and the nest, crouched low in a defensive position. It snorted and growled, sparks flying from its nostrils.

The void seemed to consider itself outmatched, as it drew back and pulled its tendrils into itself. It took on the humanoid form once again, wide grin intact, and despite its lack of eyes Nexus could tell that its focus was on them.

 _"Mine,"_ it said in its deep voice, teeth scraping, and it sounded almost like a reminder. Then it dissipated completely, leaving Nexus alone with the eggs underneath the wyvern.


End file.
